This  beautiful outdoor fall wedding was a gathering of friends and family to celebrate the love of this couple.

The bride wanted the event to be fresh and natural, much like the venue which consisted of an old log cabin, barn and tents set up for the event.  The venue was surrounded by woods, fields and a creek all creating the secluded and natural feel the bride desired.  The bridal party stayed overnight in the cabin the evening before the wedding sharing laughter and friendship.

Many of the vendors were friends or co-workers of the bride.  The ceremony musicians brought guitars and drums and played hymns and old religious songs. The groom made all of the chalkboard signs. The florist came onsite the day of the wedding and decorated using flowers she brought as well as florals and stems from the nearby field.  The boutonnieres were succulents or wild stems and berries.

Isn't this plaid tie perfect with the succulent. 

The cake was decorated with roses, succulents, and rosemary and herbs from the bride.  It was multiple single tier cakes placed on an antique cake stand.

This wedding was filled with simplicity that highlighted the incredible love this couple shows for each other.

Photographer: 

Lauren Owens Photography

Event Planner: 

Events by Elaine

Venue: 

Hachland Hill

Flowers: FIORI - 

615-838-8381

Hair Stylist: Elise Harding (friend of bride)

Cake: Hannah Lehrer (friend of bride)

If you search the internet for tips to help you negotiate with vendors, you will find lots of articles and advice.  Some of it is good, some OK and some ridiculous.  

This article from The Knot suggests that you "Try your hand negotiating at a flea market to see what talking style works for you."  Sorry, but wedding professionals are not flea market vendors; we don't haggle. 

Telling a vendor what another competitor charges isn't a great tactic.  Here's why....What I charge for wedding planning isn't the same as what another planner charges.  They offer different options and services.  You aren't comparing apples to apples.  You may pay less only to find out that the other vendor had better service or better tasting food...something that is hard to put a price on. 

The advice to be indifferent and prepared to walk away, that works at flea markets not for wedding professionals.  You might miss booking your dream photographer who only takes one wedding that date.  Would you negotiate with the plumber coming to fix your broken pipes that are spilling water across your floors? 

Don't lie to service vendors and call your wedding a "big family reunion."  The tools and supplies that are customarily included at a wedding wouldn't even be packed if you call it a party.  You could be missing out on services that would have been included - wasting you money in the long run. 

Good Negotiating Tips 

It is completely acceptable to tell a vendor your budget, in fact we prefer to know your budget up front.  If a quote comes in higher than you can afford, talk to the vendor.  We can usually come up with really creative ways to meet your budget.  Flowers too high? Ask the florist to suggest cheaper alternatives, such as flowers that are in season or cheaper per stem for the centerpieces and save the best for the brides bouquet.  

If you can be flexible with your date, such as an off-season or a Friday or Monday, you can get great discounts on venues.  Look for ways to simplify which will save you money.  Do you need both programs and fans?  That is easily $200+ out of your budget.   

Be reasonable about your budget and what you can accomplish with it.

Note sure where to start with creating a gift bag insert?  We have 2 free templates to get you started. Download it in the Resource Library.

It is set up as a tri-fold brochure or a vertical rack style and both are pre-filled with local information such as restaurants or things to do around downtown Nashville.  But everything can be customized to fit your wedding and style.  Enjoy!

(here is a sample that a bride sent me to show how easy it was)

If some of your guest are from out of town, one of the best ways to welcome your guests is to have a gift basket or bag sent to their hotel room.  This basket could have a note from the couple thanking them for sharing in the celebration.  If possible create a small brochure filled with dates, times and locations for the wedding weekend as well as contact information.  Out of town guests may appreciate knowing which restaurants your recommend or what are some fun places to visit.  Everything can be packaged in a simple kraft bag or you could choose a nicer canvas bag, bucket or box to match the colors and theme or your wedding. It can also be a nice touch to include items local to your area.

Ideas for Nashville include:

• Map of the city

• Guest book with tourist attractions

• Food samples made locally - Tennessee tea cakes, Goo-goo clusters, Lynchburg candy, Moon pies, RC Cola, small bottle of Jack Daniels, Loveless jams or baking goods, Yazoo beer, or barbecue sauce from one of numerous local resources.

• Postcards - Ranging from Hatch Show Print designs to vintage reprints to typical kitsch

• Notecards - e.g. Belle Meade Plantation, Hermitage Hotel, Nashville skyline, etc

• Local cookbook

• Maps of historic areas such as Civil Wars trails or Country Music stars homes.

• Souvenirs - Guitar picks or record label pins are just 2 of the small items that can be found.

---

Free Download - Gift Bag Insert brochure for Nashville area.

In Victorian times, communicating through flowers allowed individuals to express feelings.  These were commonly used in Tussie-Mussies, small bouquets of mixed flowers.  .  Some of the meanings might surprise brides who now choose flowers based on colors or appearance instead of meaning.

Belles Fleurs

Baby's breath - innocence
Bells of Ireland - luck
Cabbage - Profit
Calla Lilly - modesty
Carnation, Red - deep love
Carnation, Striped - refusal
Chrysanthemum - truth
Daisy - gentleness
Dahlia - elegance
Dandelion - flirting
Forget-me-nots - true love
Gardenia - ecstasy
Hydrangea - heartlessness
Iris - good news or message
Lily - purity
Lily of the Valley - return of happiness
Orchid - refined beauty
Peony - shame or bashful
Ranunculus - radiant with charm
Rose, Pink - grace
Rose, Red  - everlasting love
Sunflower - lofty thoughts
Tulip - declaration of love

Import flowers

These are just a few of the common flowers and their meanings.  Find more flower meanings.  Next time you select flowers for a bouquet whether for a wedding or just your table at home, think about their meaning and the message you are sending to others.

You see this mentioned on every planning site, in every magazine and every community of brides....Get everything in writing!

But, somehow that message doesn't seem to make it to every bride.  The wedding day arrives and the flowers are delivered and the bride is surprised when there are tiny yellow flowers in her centerpieces.  She hates yellow...however, she never put that in writing in the contract with the florist or even put it in an email.  The florist doesn't know that the bride hates yellow and so has to make changes onsite, or the venue manager or wedding planner has to remove the offending yellow stems.

It you absolutely want something a certain way, shape, size, color, etc, then put in writing with that vendor.  The same goes if you detest a song, flavor, or color.  Wedding vendors do their best to provide you an amazing day, but they aren't psychic.  So many misunderstandings can be avoided by giving specific lists or descriptions to your vendors.  

Now that we have worked on some of the overall details and the ceremony; it is time to focus on the reception.  The reception takes both the largest amount of time the day of your wedding as well as the largest amount of money.

We already looked at picking the overall feel for your wedding.  Thinking about that decision, picture your reception location.

• Hotel - Modern
• Hotel - Historic
• Banquet hall
• Private Home/ Backyard
• Tented/Outdoors
• Country club
• Barn/Rustic
• Historic venue/Plantation
• Offbeat venue - art gallery, museum, etc

Food plays an important part of the reception.  Not just what is served but how the food is served impacts your wedding. Which style fits your wedding?

• Heavy appetizers
• Full buffet
• Served sit down meal
• Food stations
• Casual buffet/picnic

• Smaller vases of flowers with votives
• Centerpieces that are large and detailed
• Unique centerpieces that are personal to you and the groom - stacks of books, travel landmarks, etc
• Tables have alternating but balancing centerpieces
• Details on guest and favor table that complement the wedding theme
• Lighting around the room

Before picking any vendors or deciding on any colors or decor, it is important to determine your wedding style.  This starts by taking your ideal dream wedding and the weddings you are drawn toward and pulling the details that appeal to you.

Start with the time of year - What season do you prefer?

• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter

What is your wedding personality?  What kind of wedding photos are you drawn toward?  (You can pick more than one)

• Modern
• Fun/Party
• Casual/Rustic
• Retro/Vintage
• Glamorous
• Asian/Zen
• Old-fashioned
• Floral/Outdoor
• Elegant

Have you always dreamed of a fairytale dress or of everyone having a great party?  For every couple there are some items or events that are more important than others.  These answers will help determine where you should put your focus and your money.

Rank these in order of importance:

• Wedding Dress/Tuxedo
• Photography
• Flowers/Decorations
• Ceremony
• Honeymoon
• Reception

Think about your ceremony.  Where do you picture your ceremony taking place?

• Family church
• Historic church
• Small chapel
• Garden
• Rustic - Cabin/Fireplace
• Beach
• Backyard/Outdoors

Stay tuned for Part 2

When you need something fixed at your home, you hire a contractor, electrician or plumber.  You don't hire them because they can fix it cheaper than you. Nope. While you look at their fees, that is not why you hire them.  You hire them because they have knowledge, experience, a skill set and resources.   They can handle the job efficiently without inconveniencing you.

This same mindset is the one you should use when hiring wedding professionals.  Which vendor will handle the job at your budget while reducing your frustration and stress?  We spend years gaining knowledge and experience while networking to learn the best vendors for each budget and style.   This is why you hire a professional.

I had the pleasure of helping Tommie and Greg with their Zen inspired wedding.   Their ceremony took place at the Japanese gardens at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens while their reception took place at a private home.  Tommie was a breathtakingly gorgeous bride as well as one of the sweetest people I have met.   Divine Images took so many amazing photos that I had a really hard time choosing which ones to use.

See more great photos of this wedding. 

Some of the wonderful elements incorporated at the ceremony included parasols for the bride and bridesmaids and a butterfly release at the end of the ceremony. 

Instead of a traditional guest book, guests signed small rocks that were placed into a Japanese meditation garden.  

The reception took place at a home decorated in the same Japanese feel. There were hanging Japanese lanterns, and vases with orchids throughout.   The Chef and I prepared delicious food throughout the evening.  

Vendors:

Ceremony: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

Reception: Private Residence

Photographer: Divine Images

Catering: The Chef and I

Florist: Bellevue Florist

Harpist: Amy McKinney

DJ: Cale Carver

Videographer: Dynamic Video

Makeup: Leah Elmquist

Hairstylists: Gordon & Co and  Mary Malone

Officiant: Lynne Jacobs

Rentals: Grand Central

Sometimes you see photos of a wedding and everything about it looks amazing. You stare at the images and wonder “How do I create a wedding that everyone talks about for years?” These 4 simple tips will get you started on an amazing day.

1. Have Fun. This is the most important aspect of any wedding. Your wedding day is a celebration of your marriage. Friends and family have traveled to witness this wonderful event. So…relax, smile and enjoy every moment. Don’t stress about the little details; other than your wedding planner and yourself, no one know. The guests won’t realize if the cake flowers are the wrong color of if there were supposed to be dinner rolls instead of biscuits on the buffet. But, if you aren’t having fun or just sitting around, the guests will notice.

2. Make sure your guests have fun. While everyone has gathered to celebrate your day, they want to enjoy the event as well. Be sure to inform guests of any important details such as an outdoor event if weather is an issue. Don’t leave your guests just sitting around for long periods of time. It’s fine if everyone is enjoying the food, dancing or talking; but don’t have an extended cocktail hour without providing snacks and possibly entertainment for the guests. They want to have fun too.

3. Details, details, details. Most of the amazing looking weddings on blogs and in magazines have one thing in common. Lots of great little details. These don’t have to be things that break the budget. These are small details that extend the feel of your wedding throughout the day. Don’t purchase items just to have more details. Sometimes extra purchases are just stuff; they waste money and don’t add anything special. For example, If you want the color blue at your wedding then incorporate it in subtle but effective ways.  The same goes for any motif or icon that you like, use it but wisely.

4.  Incorporate your personality. Nothing makes a wedding more memorable than for it to truly reflect the couple getting married. If you are famous for game nights at your house, then incorporate it into your wedding. Place a different game at every guest table and images on invites and programs. Are you the kind of girl that would never be caught in a frilly dress any other time? Then why do something so opposite of you at your wedding? Choose something unique, simple or an unexpected color.

Stress has never been good for anyone’s health and planning a wedding can create enormous pressure.  It does not matter whether you’re are planning your own wedding or using a professional, either way you are likely to undergo a stressing moment.  It is very important that you consider ways to reduce your wedding stress.  Reducing stress benefits your health as well as calms your mental and emotional state which can indirectly benefit your relationships. 

Part of this stress comes from the fact that you want to accomplish all of your ideas and details for your special day. Usually there are many things that need to be completed while planning a wedding.  Such pressures include organizing the venues, decoration and décor ideas, to handling the guests. 

There are a few activities that can reduce stress from any area.  Getting exercise is one of the best ways to handle stress and stay in shape.  Another common method is relaxation; this could include a massage or a long soak in the tub to ease away stress.   Last it is important to realize that getting plenty of sleep is crucial during the wedding planning process.   Lack of sleep can cause inability to concentrate, memory loss or fatigue. 

These techniques can help you relax and reduce stress; however, it is important to remove the cause of the stress.  If the wedding pressures or time constraints become too much to handle then you should seek the advice of a professional wedding planner.  A planner will provide you with time assistance as well as tips and guidelines.    

If you plan your wedding well, you are likely to reduce the wedding stress from the start.  One easy way to do this is to delegate some duties to close friends and family members.  Most brides receive offers of assistance but aren’t sure how to use them.  You can use these offers for simple tasks such as picking up printing, stuffing envelopes, or gathering addresses from their side of the family.  There is no need for you to do everything for yourself since you will definitely need a helping hand.

Reducing wedding stress is the best thing that you can actually consider if you want to have a beautiful and successful wedding.  

Ella and Giorgi's wedding represented more than a marriage between a bride and groom.  It was a merging of two distinct cultures and countries.

Ella is from the Philipines.  Giorgi is from the country of Georgia.   They met in medical school.  Their wedding was a blending of parts of both of their traditions as well as some American customs.  Their parents, friends and family flew in from around the country and the globe for their special day.

The couple was married at the Greek Orthodox church in a beautiful ceremony filled with traditional parts of the churches beliefs including the candles, the crowns, the Common cup and the dance of Isaiah.

After the ceremony, everyone gathered at Union Station Hotel Nashville for a reception filled with family.  The family members made touching speeches.   

The bride and groom even took time to enjoy the photo booth. 

Vendors:

Ceremony:  Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

Reception: Union Station Nashville

Photography & Photobooth: B & B Photo

Cake: The Sweetest Day

Florist: Belles Fleurs

DJ: Nashville Party Authority

Wedding planning can be both fulfilling and overwhelming.   Looking at wedding blogs, books and magazines can put most brides into creative overload.  This abundance of amazing and gorgeous weddings can make it difficult for brides to narrow down the wedding style that is truly theirs.  In wedding planning, you should be true to yourself - your ideals, your style for your wedding.   Here are 6 ways to get you started:

Photography: Chris and Adrienne Scott

1. You as a couple: Do you have common hobbies?  How did you meet?  Guests at your wedding want to see you and your personality reflected in the event.  Give the tables names that reflect your hobbies or decor that matches your favorite travel destination.

2. You as an individual:  Is the groom a DJ or musician?  Is the bride an artist?    Let your personal talents be included in your wedding.  The groom could create the playlist or even perform one song at the reception.  The bride can create the artwork for the programs or invites.

3. Your dream wedding: Most people have a vision of how their dream wedding looks and feels.  While sometimes it is not possible to create this entire dream due to budget or time constraints, use that ideal to fine tune and refine your wedding.   Do you dream of a wedding at an amusement park but it isn't possible?  Serve cotton candy and funnel cakes or have a food truck.  Maybe have some small games for the guests such as a ball toss or dart game.

4. Family traditions:  There are some family traditions, whether they are of weddings or other events, that can be incorporated into most weddings   Does your grandma always make her famous carrot cake for every family gathering?  Enlist family ahead of time or take the recipe to a baker and make mini cupcakes.   Are the same candlesticks or dishes at every Thanksgiving or Christmas meal?  Use them on the head table or sweetheart table for a touch of tradition.  Traditions and family history are a wonderful way to include the past with your future.

5. Your preferences: Some decisions are easier during planning.  What colors do you like?  Too many choices.  What colors do you dislike?  Your likes and dislikes should be conveyed to your vendors to give them insight to your preferences.

6. Being firm:  Pressure from family and friends can make your decisions seem inappropriate or too casual.  If something is important to you, then be firm about your decision.   What make you as a couple happy should be your focus.  While your family may not understand your desire to move away from "what everyone has done for years", it can be great to create your own new traditions.

Just remember, you are unique.  Let it shine during your wedding. 

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of working on a Christmas open house party for Fivestone Studios.  Since I usually do corporate events for small businesses, I knew this was a perfect fit.  Fivestone Studios is a video and animation motion studio with office space in a great building on 3rd Ave.

Planning this event with a few weeks time required the help of some great Nashville vendors for catering and bartending.  It also required a little hands on DIY from me in the form of decor and event supplies.

Decor was simple with an obvious Christmas feel that didn't detract from the exposed brick walls and wood floors of the space.

The Chef and I catering provided a fabulous menu of mini caprese sandwiches, deconstructed stuffed mushrooms, candied red peppers and boursin cheese, seared ahi tuna with mango, mni buffalo chicken bites,  pears with brie as well as their signature strawberry injection bar.  

Do you need help planning a corporate event for your small business?  Contact me for more info or to schedule a consultation. 

Vendors:

Catering: Chef and I

Bartending: VIP Bartending

Valet: PMC

This runner is easy to create and customize for your wedding.  These could be used on all the guest tables or just on the special tables.

Burlap Base

For this tutorial, there are three different versions I’m going to show you:

1. Sew version - using a sewing machine (what I did);
2. Semi-sew version – using stitch witchery or no-sew hemming;
3. No-sew version – just cut and go. I will add the special no-sew instructions in italics.

Begin by measuring the length of your table. Mine is 79″ long.

Next, you will need to figure out the dimensions of your runner. I generally like my runner to overhang the length of the table by 6-8″ on each side. I personally think that runners that only overhang a few inches or don’t overhang at all look a little anorexic, but that’s just me. Runners are also generally 14-18″ in width, but again, choose what works for your table.

Because I’m one of those people who likes to see everything in writing, I wrote out my dimensions to use for cutting the burlap. If you are going to create the sew or semi-sew version of the runner, be sure to add in the 2″seam allowances as I did. 

If you are going to create the no-sew version, leave the 2″ seam allowances out of your calculations.

Are you following me?

If you don’t already have a stash of burlap on hand, head to a fabric store and pick some up. It’s generally less than $3/yard. For my runner, I needed about 2 1/4 yards. Burlap comes in an array of colors – white, black, natural, red, orange – so choose what works best for your decor.

Once you are home with your burlap, throw it in the washer and dryer if you are doing the sew or semi-sew version. 

If you are doing the no-sew version, do not wash it now. We’ll do that in a bit.

Now we’re ready to cut. Spread out your burlap on the floor and use a yard stick or tape measure to mark of your dimensions you calculated earlier. Follow the weave of the burlap to cut your lines as straight as possible. If you have already washed your burlap, go ahead and cut off the frayed selvage edges before you cut out your runner.

For the no-sew variety, now all you have to do is fray your edges! Throw your cut piece into the washer and dryer to soften the fabric and fray the edges. When it’s dry, or almost dry, iron the piece on a high setting and place on your table. Congrats! You’re finished!

For the sew and semi-sew varieties, fold under each edge 1/2″ and press. Repeat by folding under each edge 1/2″ again and press. I generally like to do the double folds on the long sides first and then the short sides so that I end up with nice square corners.

Now you can either add a strip of stitch witchery underneath the folds and iron it according to the directions on the package or you can run it through the sewing machine, as I did mine. 

Ruffled Top

1. Buy some fabric that’s about two and a half times the length of your runner.  Your measurements will be different, but my runner was about 80 inches long, so I needed a length of fabric that was about 5 yards long.  I bought 3 yards of cheap quilting cotton ($3.99 “Symphony Broadcloth” at JoAnn’s, made cheaper by a 40% off coupon)  and sewed two lengths of it together. You want to cut the length 

WITH

 the selvedge edge, 

not

against

.  This ensures your ruffles will be nice and full.

2. You want the finished width of the new piece to be about 2 1/2 inches shorter on each side than the width of the burlap runner.  Again, your measurements will be different, but my runner is 18 inches wide so I wanted my finished width of the new piece to be 13 inches wide.  Add a 1 inch seam allowance on each side, which makes what I call my “cut to width” 15 inches wide.

3. Set up your sewing machine to stitch a long basting stitch with a loose-ish thread tension (mine was set to a 4).  At about 5/8 of an inch from the long edges of your fabric, run your basting stitch, catching the fabric behind the foot so that it gathers.  Hold it for as long as you can, and then let go and hold the next length.  Do this for both of the long edges, and leave long thread tails (about 6 inches long) hanging off both ends on each side.  You’ll leave the basting stitches in for this project, so you may want to choose a thread color that matches the fabric.

4.  Head to your ironing board and press your new ruffles so they become folds.  I’m sure this kind of ruffle has a fancy name, but I’m going to just call them modern ruffles.  You don’t want them to look uniform, so it’s perfectly fine (and even preferred) to have creases and the folds going in different directions.

5.  Lay out your burlap runner and place your new runner on top of it.  Pull the fabric down the basting stitches (using the 6 inch tails if you need to) so that the new fabric is a few inches longer than the burlap.  

DON’T

 pull the basting stitches out.

6.  Turn the basted edges under 1 inch and pin into place.  I used a lot of pins to make sure that I got it all turned under and no ruffled poofs where hanging out.  Because you placed your basting stitch at 5/8 inch, it will be hidden when you make you turn the edges under.

7.  Go back to your ironing board and press the new fold on the edges that you turned under.  I left the pins in place – just don’t iron over them if they have plastic heads.

8.  Lay your new piece of fabric back out on the burlap and pin it into place.  I pinned it down on both long edges and a few times down the middle.  Stitch it down about 1/4 of an inch from the edge of the new fabric.  However, since the edge of your fabric is now folded gathers, your edge won’t be completely straight and even.  Your stitch will even make the fabric pinch and fold.  I’m sure that professional seamstresses will hyperventilate over that, but it’s totally fine (and again, preferred) for this project

.

9.  Visit your ironing board again and turn under the parts of your fabric that you let overhang the ends of the burlap.  If it’s more than about an inch or so, you may want to trim it.  Just turn it under the burlap, pin it, press it, and then stitch it in place.

Now you’ve got yourself a nice set of modern ruffles on a great burlap table runner.  I absolutely love the look of this updated version.

Lindsay Ballard authors the popular DIY home decor blog Living With Lindsay . She strives to help her readers easily create vibrant spaces that combine individual family needs with an eclectic flair.